<p>I have a pretty low GPA, its a 3.1(big upward trend tho 2.46, 3.0, 3.8) and I'm probably going to be applying to a couple of schools(prob 10+) and i'm also a URM(African-American). Anyway I'm just wondering with my stats(I'm aiming for a 30 on the ACT) is it better that I apply EA/ED or RD to schools like Syracuse, Rochester, Umiami, OSU, UMD, Pitt and most schools in general. Does it help me in my situation to apply early or regular to most schools?</p>
<p>Regular. If you apply regular, you’ll have an extra semester of 4.0’s to show when you get them senior year.</p>
<p>Sorry for the thread jack but are you sure that senior year grades will show up on time?</p>
<p>^Many/most colleges require you send a mid-year report in Jan/Feb.</p>
<p>I agree that schools are probably going to want to see the mid-year grades to see this trend continuing (congratulations, by the way- that is impressive!). Whether to apply early action or not is something to decide based on the schools you’re looking for. I honestly don’t know the standards at any of them, so you should google “common data set” and the name of one of the schools and go through “section C” (first-time, first-year students’ stats) for each. If your scores are in range, maybe its worth going early admission. If your test scores are low too, I’d hold off to work on both this fall. What you want if you apply early to schools which are selective is an application which is reasonably competitive. If your scores are going to put you in range, then they may defer to see what your mid-year report looks like. You are not going to be able to raise the GPA since there is not a full academic year left before your applications are due, but you probably are going to need to show success in challenging courses. If any of your schools track “interest” (again, see Common Data Set or their websites) then that may be another reason for an EA application. I’d also say to find a safety and apply early there if you can so you’ll be able to relax knowing you’re admitted somewhere as you wait for the April acceptances.</p>